Family forced to send pit bull-mix away

Pit bulls have been outlawed in Chariton for years, but the name pit bull applied to more dogs, which was why one family was caught off-guard when their mixed-breed was ordered to leave town.

Zanny is a 10-month-old dog that first joined her family in June.

"When I got her, they told me she was a mixed dog. When she was a puppy, I didn’t think much about it. She was really small," said owner Jenny Connery.

As Zanny grew larger, Connery said the dog started to look more and more like a pit bull, which is a big problem in Chariton.

"It's pretty common knowledge, I think within the city, that you can't have one in town," said Chariton police Chief Jeff Johnson.

On Friday, two police officers showed up at Connery's door to tell her Zanny needs to be removed from town.

"They said that they would have her put down," Connery said. "I can't believe a dog should be put down if they have not done anything wrong."

Authorities said the ordinance that outlaws pit bulls has been around since 1988, and even though Zanny is not a purebred pit bull, the law applies to her because she looks like one.

"Anything that has the characteristics of being predominantly of the breed," said Johnson said. "It was mentioned that the dog could be disposed of, but that's a worst-case scenario."

"That would be like saying any mixed dog cannot be in town, because honestly, you don’t know what's in their bloodline," Connery said.

The dog owner said she understands why pit bulls have a bad reputation, but she wants other to understand something as well.

"You can either train a dog to be nice and loving and caring, or you can train a dog to be mean or aggressive, and that's any dog. That's not just a pit bull," Connery said.

Zanny is staying in the country with relatives while Connery tries to gather support.

"She'll be out there either until I can move or until I win the battle of trying to get the rules changed up a little bit," Connery said.

Connery's first step to fight the ordinance will be in front of the Chariton City Council. She said she knows a lot of pit bull lovers in the area, so she thinks she stands a good chance at getting the old law at least reviewed and possibly changed.

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